Two Officers Fatally Shot In Topeka

The officers were shot while investigating a suspicious vehicle, and the suspect is dead after a two-hour armed standoff.

Topeka Police Chief Ronald Miller said a gunman opened fire on Cpl. David Gogian, 50, and Officer Jeff Atherly, 29, from inside the vehicle at around 6 p.m. Sunday. Miller said the man shot both officers in the head.

Following a tip, authorities surrounded a nearby house where a 22-year-old suspect was holed up early Monday and, after negotiations failed, Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents fired tear gas inside. The Shawnee County sheriff’s office, which is leading the investigation, said the man emerged from the home with a gun and officers opened fire.

The suspect, whom police have not named, was declared dead at a hospital. The sheriff’s office said it’s not clear whether the man fired at officers.

Police Chief Ronald Miller said the suspect had a criminal record but he didn’t elaborate. He said he didn’t know why the suspect fired on the police officers in the incident outside a grocery store.